Welcome to The Drift, A New Blog About Sleep

Welcome to The Drift, A New Blog About Sleep

Welcome to The Drift

Painting by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, with additional illustrations by Lisa Larson-Walker.

There are few things in life better than drifting off to sleep. After a long day of toil and tribulation, retreating to the comfort of bed, and then to the sweet release of unconsciousness—perchance to dream?—is a blessing, one of the most natural joys human beings can experience. And yet, despite its apparent simplicity, sleep has become incredibly complicated. Many of us have difficulties getting to it, and others have trouble staying there. We constantly receive tips (usually unsolicited) on what’s ruining it or which props we should use to do it better, and the debate over how much of it we need never seems to end. Beyond mechanics, sleep continues to fascinate us with its mystery—what happens while the lights are out upstairs? Why do some people talk and walk when they should be still? Why do some of us wake up screaming? Sleep is such an important part of the human experience that it regularly creeps out into our culture, even our language. One thing is certain: You should never sleep on sleep.

The Drift, a pop-up blog that will run in Slate from now through early Decemeber, will be a space for considering sleep from as many vantage points as there are threads in a fine set of sheets. We’ll look at the latest science and health advice, but we’ll also examine sleep as it engages with our art and entertainment as well. We’ll look at products meant to help us sleep, and reevaluate etiquette meant to help us do it more politely. We’ll hear personal stories of the sandman’s strangest habits, and maybe even eavesdrop on a dream or two. The goal, overall, is not to cover all of sleep—there aren’t enough hours in the night—but simply to wallow in it for a bit. We hope you’ll join us in appreciating the profound ways in which sleep shapes our lives, both under the covers and beyond.

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Week One

Down With Spooning! J. Bryan Lowder rails against the indignities of the pre-sleep horizontal embrace and advocates instead for concious cuddling, an approach to intimacy that's altogether more comfortable and dignified.

My 9-Year Love Affair with MelatoninMark Joseph Stern reports from almost a decade of shut-eye with the help of the natural sleep aid. And while it was the quest for rest that got him started, it's the crazy dreams that keep him coming back.

A New Look at the Sleepless BrainRachel Gross stays up late looking at the most current neuroscience research on why some people just can't get to sleep—and how their brains may differ from those who can.

The Eight-Hour Sleep Session Is Not What You NeedGabriel Roth rouses us from the slumber of conventional wisdom, arguing that instead of a "full night's sleep" what we really need are a few extra hours in the day ... and a smarter sleep schedule.

Dreaming in the CloudGreta Weber reports on attempts to record our dreams and make sense of the mysteries of the collective human unconcious. But can dreams really be translated into "big data?"

Week Three

Photo by clownbusiness/Shutterstock, with additional illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker.

We Need to Talk About Our DreamsAmanda Hess takes on the taboo against talking about our dreams in public and argues that the reason we consider "dream talk" boring may have more to do with cultural conditioning than objective truth.

The Art of the Public NapIan Callahan brings us Eric Leleu's striking images of public snoozing in China, revealing a juxaposition of human vulnerability and common space rarely seen in the West.

How Gross Is Your Mattress?Claire Landsbaum takes a magnifying glass to our mattresses to see if, after a few years, they are really as nasty as bedding purveyors claim. The answer? Shudder...

Down With Alarm Clocks!L.V. Anderson exposes alarm clocks for what they are: A capitalist trap designed to violently align our bodies with the demands of the marketplace. Is there any hope of returning to the organic risings of our agrarian forebearers? Don't count on it.

The Last Bedtime Story You’ll Ever NeedLisa Wong Macabasco reveals the hypnotic power of The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, a best-selling children's book that promises to knock out even the most trenchant bedtime fighters.

A Wet AwakeningJonathan L. Fischer often wakes up in a puddle of his own drool. This is his quest to understand why—and to keep it from happening again.

Week Six

Photo by Nenad Aksic/Shutterstock, with additional illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker.

Sonata-Allegro SnoozeJ. Bryan Lowder considers the widespread practice of using music (especially classical music) as a sleep aid. Is such a repurposing disrespectful? Or is it a valid use for art?